Belle
'Belle '''is the main female protagonist from Disney's 1991 animated feature film, ''Beauty and the Beast. She later returned to star in both of the film's direct-to-video midquels, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and'' Belle's Magical World'' (1998). Belle is a book-loving young woman who dreams of adventure and sacrifices her own freedom to save her father's life at a castle ruled by a hideous prince-turned-beast. While there, Belle restores love and laughter to his selfish heart, in turn, falling in love with him, and breaking his enchantment. In all film appearances, Belle's speaking and singing voices are provided by American actress and singer, Paige O'Hara. In 1994, actress and singer, Susan Egan, originated the live role of Belle in the Broadway rendition of Beauty and the Beast. In 2007, the role of Belle was finalized by Disney Channel actress and singer, Anneliese van der Pol. Appearance and Personality Physical Appearance Belle is a beautiful young woman of French heritage most likely in her late-teens. She has long brown hair (most often tied back in a low ponytail), large hazel-brown eyes, flowery-pink lips, and a rosy-fair complexion. According to several of her fellow townsfolk (including Gaston, her vain suitor), Belle is the most beautiful girl in town, although she never seems to acknowledge this. In fact, she seems quite unaware of this. Personality Belle is a clever, vivacious, and intellegent young woman. Due to her love of reading, she possesses a wide vocabulary (of which she has no problem using) and an active imagination. Although Belle is considered beautiful by pratically everyone she encounters, she is ignorant of her own appearance, and appears to pay little attention to it. Ironically, however, she is quite aware of the fact that she's considered "odd" by her fellow townsfolk because of her passion for reading and knowledge, but usually pretends to be not greatly affected by this. Belle is also bold, stubborn and outspoken. Unlike most female characters of her time (the early to mid-eighteenth century), Belle always speaks her mind freely and straightforwardly, and has little to no tolerance for rudeness, bossiness, or stupidity. A feminist, she refuses to be undermined or mistreated by others (especially ''Gaston) simply because she is a girl, and believes that both men and women play equal roles in society. Sometimes, Belle's curious nature, urge for adventure, and active imagination get her into trouble, but she always uses knowledge, common sense, and intuition to to solve her problems. In contrast to most ''Beauty and the Beast characters, Belle isn't affected by the appearances of others, and always looks beyond their exteriors to see who (or what) they really are. It is Belle's pure heart and accepting nature that eventually free the Beast from his spell. Background and Development Origins Belle is loosely based upon the main female protagonist from the classic French fairy tale, La Belle et la Bête,'' mainly the version by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. In the original fairy tale, Belle (or "Beauty", depending on the version) is the youngest, most beautiful, and kind-hearted daughter of a formerly rich merchant. Having asked her father to bring her back a rose on his way home from a business excursion, the merchant attempts to snip one from the garden of a castle, having taken shelter there the previous night. However, the merchant is spotted and apprehended by the castle's master, who reveals himself to be a hideous Beast. "The Beast" threatens to kill the merchant, but after hearing of his good intentions, orders the poor man to bring him his youngest daughter in return for his life. Heartbroken, the merchant agrees. Upon returning home, he reveals the news to Belle, who willingly goes with him to the castle where she is welcomed by the Beast. During her stay at the castle, the Beast treats Belle with immense kindness, and proposes to her each night, only to have her refuse. Belle remains at the castle for a lengthy period of time, but eventually grows homesick. At last, she begs the Beast to let her return home to see her family. The Beast gives her leave with the stern promise that she will return to him in a week, and she agrees. Initially, Belle intends to, but upon hearing the feigned pleas of her jealous sisters to not return to the Beast, she remains home another day. Soon, Belle grows guilty of having broken her promise, and instantly returns to the castle, where she finds the Beast dying of a broken heart. Belle apologizes to the dying Beast and says she loves him, which breaks the spell, and the Beast transforms back into his true form; ''a handsome prince. Finally, Belle agrees to marry him, and the two live happily ever after. Development Design and Characteristics Belle's supervising animator was James Baxter. Being the main protagonist, Belle's design changed the most out of all the characters in Beauty and the Beast. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise wanted Belle, a French native, to have a distinctly European look, so the animators drew inspiration from the face of British film actress, Audrey Hepburn, to design her. As a result, they designed Belle with larger eyes, fuller lips, and rounder cheeks. According to Paige O'Hara, the voice actress of Belle, Belle looked too ''perfect during the early production process of the film, a cross between Elizabeth Taylor and Angelina Jolie. To fix this, the animators re-designed her to make her look less perfect and more identifiable, slightly withdrawing on her beauty in order to focus more on the "bookworm" aspect of her personality. Throughout the film, Belle tends to habitually walk on her toes. According to producer Don Hahn, this is no coincidence. He and a team of animators made frequent trips to professional ballet studios to study the dancers. Using the acquired footage, the animators incorporated the dancers' movements into Belle's walking pattern, giving her a subtle heir of elegance and weightlessness. Belle's hair style and colour has been changed numerous times throughout the production process, from blonde, to red, to black, and finally brown. The current brunette version of Belle, along with her hazel eye colour, sets her apart from preceding Disney Princesses. Belle's difference in appearance has been critically pr aised by audiences and critcs around the world. Actress and model Sherri Stoner served as the live-action reference for Belle. Stoner was also the performance model for Ariel in Disney's 1989 animated feature, ''The Little Mermaid. Story In the original Beauty and the Beast fairy tale, Belle is a rather inactive, predictable, and very traditional "princess-like" character. According to producer Don Hahn, Beaumont's version of Beauty is basically the story of two people sitting down to dinner each night where the guy asks the girl to marry him. The filmakers felt this would not play out very well on screen. During the early story-writing process, the film's plot heavily relied on Beumont's version of the fairy tale,thumb|298px|right|Original beginning for "Beauty and the Beast", drawn out in storyboard format. only altering a few details (Belle becoming the older of two siblings instead of the youngest of three, and the introduction of two possible antagonists; her rude and inconsiderate aunt, Margarite, and the arrogant Sir Gaston, to whom her aunt wants her to marry for his money). This version of the story was scrapped because Belle was still a rather predictable and archetypical heroine, and her personality was rather bland. This story was then re-written to give Belle a more heroic involvement in the plot, essentially making her atypical to the traditional portrayal of a fairy tale heroine. In doing so, Belle became more of an intellectual than a romantic, as shown through her love of books and reading. Also, Belle became stubborn, outspoken, strong-willed, and opinionated, traits that weren't present in the original plot or fairy tale. Wardrobe A''rt director, Brian McEntee, suggested that colour play an important role in the film. Similar to how the change of seasons reflect upon different emotions in the film, a similar concept was used when designing Belle's wardrobe. When Belle wore blue, it meant she was sad, lonely, and depressed. When Belle wore green, it meant she was calm and content. When Belle wore pink during the "Something There" musical sequence, it meant she was falling in love, and when she finally wore her iconic golden ballgown during the ballroom/dance sequence, it meant she was joyful and delighted. Belle's ballgown was directly inspired by the one actress, Audrey Hepburn, wore in her 1953 live-action film, ''Roman Holiday. Certain design alterations were made, of course, to make the gown appear less plain and more modern, such as the added ripples, evening gloves, and ribbon on the skirt of the dress. Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, with screenwriter Linda Woolvertion, wanted Belle to stand out in a crowd, especially during the film's opening number, "Belle". So, while the other villagers wore rustic and earthy colours such as red, brown, orange, and green, Belle was purposely costumed in light blue and white, making her easily recognizable as she navigates her way through the crowd (while reading a blue ''book). This further emphasizes the fact that Belle is seen as "peculiar" in her village. Voice Actress Originally, the filmakers thought of bringing back ''The Little Mermaid's Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel) for the role of Belle, but this was quickly cancelled after they witnessed Paige O'Hara on stage. Disney personally contacted Broadway star, Paige O'Hara, by telephone, and asked her to provide both the speaking and singing voices of Belle. Although O'Hara never starred in an animated production prior to Beauty and the Beast, she believes she was chosen because of her lengthy career as an actress and singer on Broadway, starring in several stage productions that lead up to Beauty. According to O'Hara, she was instantly drawn to the film after reading a copy of the sript. She quickly noticed Belle was an intellectual and a book-lover, and thought "this is me". Paige O'Hara did her own singing in the film, specifically on "Belle", "Belle (Reprise)" and "Something There". O'Hara was having some trouble hitting the higher notes in "Something There" ("New and a bit aLARMing"), so lyricist Howard Ashman advised her to emulate American singer, Barbra Streisand. With this in mind, O'Hara successfully completed the song. Benson did, however, provide Belle's speaking voice in the animated television series, House of Mouse. Role in Film Beauty and the Beast Belle is a beautiful young woman who lives in a small French town with her father, Maurice, an aspiring inventor. Due to her love of reading and knack for intelligence (which her fellow townsfolk jeer at), Belle feels unwelcomed in her town, and dreams of having adventures in the "great wide somewhere" like the ones she reads about in her books. Gaston, a handsome but arrogant young man, wishes to marry Belle. Although everyone else in the village idolizes him, Belle refuses Gaston's proposal because of his arrogance, insolence, and sexism towards her, not being at all pleased by his good looks. Maurice (who is considered crazy amongst the villagers) heads to the county fair in hopes of entering his latest invention, but gets lost along the way and goes missing. When Maurice's horse, Phillipe, returns home without her father, Belle is alarmed and immediately mounts Phillipe and sets out to find him. Phillipe leads Belle to a mysterious castle, where she sees Maurice's hat, and enters in hopes of finding him. Soon, Belle finds her father locked away in a dungeon, and begs the castle's "master" (who reveals himself to be a hideous beast) to let him go, offering her own freedom in return. The Beast agrees to this on the condition that Belle stays with him forever. Despite her father's pleas of disapproval, Belle promises, and the Beast sends Maurice home in an enchanted carriage. Although cold-hearted and cruel, the Beast is deeply moved by Belle's beauty and affection towards her father, and (with some persuasion from Lumiere, an enchanted candelabra) gives her a nice room to stay in, in an attempt to treat her kindly and win her affection. At first, Belle is hesitant to interact with the Beast. When the Beast catches Belle exploring the forbidden West Wing and fiercely reprimands her for disobeying his orders, she flees from the castle in fear. However, while racing through the woods, Belle is attacked by a pack of wolves. Luckily, the Beast comes to her rescue just in time. Although he successfully fends off the wolves, he soon collapeses from his injuries. Belle is about to re-mount Phillipe and ride home, but she realizes she can't just leave the Beast in the woods, so she brings him back to the castle and tends to his wounds, where she thanks him for saving her life. Aided by the enchanted objects, the Beast develops a more civil manner and a strong friendship is formed between the two. The Beast falls deeply in love with Belle, but doubts she will ever love him in return. When Belle reveals to him how much she misses her father, the Beast, having finally found true love, grants Belle leave to be with her ailing father (who got lost in the woods while trying to "rescue" her from the castle). With heavy hearts, Belle and the Beast part ways. Soon, Belle finds her father in the woods and brings him home, where they reunite. However, after refusing Gaston's final proposal, he orders the villagers to take Maurice to the asylum for ranting about the Beast. Bravely, Belle shows the villagers a picture of the Beast through the magic mirror (which he gave her as a parting gift), proving the Beast is real. Gaston, realizing Belle has fallen in love with the Beast, sets out with a mob of villagers to kill him, locking Belle and Maurice in the cellar. However, they are later freed by Chip (using Maurice's invention), an enchanted object who stowed away in Belle's purse. The mob breaks into the castle. Although the vast majority of them are fended off by the enchanted objects, Gaston sneaks away, making his way upstairs to the Beast's room, and attacks him. However, having lost all hope after Belle left, the Beast doesn't fight back. The two make their way onto the rooftop where Gaston pushes the Beast closer to the edge. Just as the Beast is about to give up completely, Belle appears from below. Seeing Belle returns the Beast's strength to him, and he rises to his full height, dangling Gaston over the edge. However, the Beast can't find it in his heart to harm anyone, so he places Gaston safely back on the balcony, only ordering him to "get out". At last, Belle and the Beast reunite, but the Beast is stabbed in the back by Gaston, who loses his balance and falls to his death. Belle lays the Beast on a balcony, where he dies in her arms. However, Belle confesses her love for the Beast just before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose, which finally breaks the spell. In a beautiful "firework" display, the Beast transforms into his true form; a handsome prince. Belle's love for the Beast revives him and frees him from the curse, and he along with the enchanted objects (who are really the castle staff) return to their human forms. Belle and the Beast share one last dance before the film ends, and live happily ever after. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas A midquel taking place during the winter segment of Beauty and the Beast, this is the story of Belle's attempt to bring back to the castle the one ceremony Beast hates most: Christmas. It has not been well recieved because it ignores the movie's continuity, and that at the point the movie is supposed to take place, Belle still considered herself a prisoner in the castle, and was not truly friends with the Beast at that point, though she had begun to accept him. A pipe organ called Forte is determined to do anything necessary to keep the spell from breaking, because he thinks that if the curse is broken then the Beast won't need his depressing music anymore. Thus, he proves to be a real obstacle for Belle's plan. After several attempts to get Beast to agree, Beast finally approves of the idea and allows Belle to prepare for Christmas, though he still bears a grudge, for Christmas is the day the Enchantress cast the spell on him and the castle residents. With advice from Forte, Belle goes out into the woods to get a suitable tree for Christmas, but she falls into thin ice and almost drowns. Fortunately, she is rescued by Beast, who is enraged at her because Forte told him that she was trying to desert him again. Belle is then thrown into the dungeon to rot, but Beast then finds a book that Belle had written for him earlier in the West Wing, and decides to set Belle free and they both continue to prepare for Christmas. But Forte doesn't give up there, even going as far as to attempt to bring the whole castle down with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in order to prevent the spell from ending, as it can't if everyone is dead. Fortunately, Beast stops him in time by crashing his keyboard to pieces. The viewers are soon taken back the actual Christmas taking place, and Belle is presented with a gift from the Beast, who is now her husband: a rose. Belle's Magical World Songs Beauty and the Beast *Belle *Belle (Reprise) *Something There Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas *Stories *As Long As There's Christmas *As Long As There's Christmas (Reprise) *A Cut Above the Rest Belle's Magical World *Listen With out Hearts - Belle (Paige O'Hara) *A Little Thought - Belle (O'Hara) Broadway *Belle *No Matter What *Belle (Reprise) *Home *Something There *A Change in Me Gallery 180px-Belle and Gaston-1-.jpg|Belle and Gaston 180px-Beauty-and-the-beast-1-.jpg|Belle dancing with the Beast 180px-Belle Time To Dance-1-.jpg|Belle dressed as a princess 180px-Beauty-disneyscreencaps.com-9118-1-.jpg|Belle mourning over the Beast's death 180px-Belle and beast kiss-1-.jpg|Belle kissing the Beast in human form Trivia *Belle is French for "beautiful". *Belle is the only Disney Princess to ''not ''sing the film's theme song, "Beauty and the Beast". Instead, it is sung by the supporting character, Mrs. Potts. *Belle was the second Disney Princess to not be of royal descent and only through marriage, after Cinderella in 1950. She was the last princess to only be royal through marriage until Tiana in 2009. Category:Singing Heroines Category:Disney princesses Category:Animated Heroines Category:Feminists Category:Brunettes Category:In love heroines Category:Princesses